Now You See Me
by PavLuvsPercyJackson
Summary: Agents Aster Bunnymund and Toothiana Fey are assigned to investigate the case of the 'Big Four', an infamous group of burglars who somehow manage to evade the police at every turn. When Aster and Tooth learn of the Big Four's next target, will they be able to crack the case in time to stop them? Jackunzel, Merricup, maybe ToothXBunny
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys,**

 **I know I'm busy enough with my other stories as it is, but this was just such an awesome idea and I had to do it! If you guys like this, please read my other stories! ;D**

 **Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Bunny's POV

Bunnymund made his way hastily through the police station towards the conference room. He and his partner, Toothiana Fey, were being assigned to a new case, and he couldn't afford to be late-Ana would kill him.

"Aster, you're finally here," His partner said with a tight smile when he finally arrived.

She was waiting for him with Nickolas St. North, the chief commissioner. Her startling, odd violet eyes were narrowed at him, silently conveying her annoyance. Ana was a usually kind woman, but she took her job very seriously.

"Glad you could finally join us, Mr Bunnymund." North said in his thick Russian accent, gesturing for Aster to take a seat.

Aster muttered an apology as he sat down and motioned for North to begin, not wanting to waste any more time.

North placed a pile of files on the table. "I'm sure you two have heard of the 'Big Four' case?"

"Of course," Ana replied.

Aster picked up one of the files and began to scan the contents. It held images of a crime scene and a detailed description of what had occured, including possible suspects. There was one blurry image of a blonde woman and a brown-haired man walking around the corner of a building, but their faces weren't visible.

"There was another robbery executed in Los Angeles on Wednesday the 7th, and the Big Four are believed to be responsible. The last team assigned to the case have run out of leads, and I want you two to continue their investigation."

Ana looked towards Aster, meeting his gaze. The Big Four was a big case, many agencies were investigating the group of criminals, but whoever they were, they certainly knew what they were doing and hadn't left much evidence.

Did they really want to risk taking the case? If they cracked it, they would be renowned within the business, would probably receive promotions. But if they failed, who knew what was at stake.

Aster nodded at Ana. He knew that they could do it. They had been working together for years, you couldn't find a better partnership than theirs.

"Alright, what do we already know?" Ana said.

North smiled, pleased that they had agreed to take the case. "We have a confirmed identity of two of the criminals." He handed one file to Aster and another to Ana. "Merida Dunbroch and Henry Haddock, both come from very privileged backgrounds. The Dunbroch's are descended from an ancient Scottish royal family, and the Haddock family owns one of the largest tech industries in the country. Whatever their reasons for stealing precious items, it most definitely isn't for the money.

"Merida Dunbroch is 20 years of age, and seems to act as the group's explosives and arms expert, as well as a getaway driver. She has an uncanny aim, and was able to hack into the security network of the most high-tech museum in America. She attended an esteemed girl's finishing school, and though she achieved good grades, she had notable behavioral issues."

Aster looked down at the photo in the file he'd been given. It was an old school photo from Merida's senior year, and showed a teenager with a large mass of unruly red curls, a pretty round face and greenish-blue eyes. Just 20 years old? And she was already one of the most wanted people in the United States. But Aster knew better than to underestimate someone based on their age, after all, he and Ana were quite young to be as high ranked as they were.

"Henry Haddock is also 20, and is the group's other getaway driver. Once he gets in the car, there isn't a person who can catch him. Judging by his high grades at school, and his family's range of technology, we believe that he is the mastermind. He provides the group with the newest gadgets available."

Haddock was a young man with messy brown hair, strands of it braided at the back, with bright forest-green eyes. He had a small scar on his chin.

"And what about the other two?" Aster asked.

North showed them another two files. Both contained a photo, but the rest was mostly blank. "We have a photographic identification, but we cannot find a name to match. These two are completely off the records."

"How is that possible?" Ana wondered. "No birth certificates or anything?"

The commissioner shook his head regretfully. "It is like they do not exist."

One of the photos showed a woman you looked to be roughly the same age as Dunbroch and Haddock, with long blonde hair and large green eyes. She was very pretty, a splash of light freckles covering her nose. Aster recognized her as the girl from the first picture he had seen.

The last picture was of a young man with strange, snow-white hair and startling blue eyes. His skin was very pale, and he had sparkling white teeth.

"The woman has some acrobatic skills, which she uses during their robberies to retrieve the item they wish to steal. She is a master of camouflage, cameras have only been able to catch her once. The man very much appears to be a ghost; he blends into a crowd and then its like he's invisible. Agents have had multiple encounters with him, and he is very fast and agile, able to perform very difficult parkour maneuvers."

Ana frowned as she studied the photos. "These kids are obviously skilled, but I don't understand how they've managed to evade us for so long."

"That is why I chose my best investigators," North smiled.

Aster grinned. "Let's get to work then."

* * *

Hiccup's POV

Hiccup sat down with a heavy sigh of relief. They had reached the abandoned building that Jack had found in record time after performing their latest robbery, now they had time to relax before they had to move again.

Th building was in a great spot; miles away from the museum they had robbed, in an area that would take a long time to search. Jack had a knack for finding places like this, he was an expert at remaining out of the spotlight.

Merida grinned as she plopped down beside him, holding the diamond they had taken in her hands. "I can't believe we pulled that off," Even after living in the States for most of her life, she still had a very prominent Scottish accent.

Jack and Rapunzel were seated across from them, wide smiles on their faces. Jack had his arm around Rapunzel's shoulders, and she was leaning into him. The two had been dating for as long as Hiccup had known them, and he was almost jealous of their relationship. How they managed to keep it going while they lived like this, he had no idea.

"I'm just glad we got out." Rapunzel replied, her green eyes shining.

The last heist had been a bit more risky than usual, due to the top-of-the-line security system, but Merida had bypassed it with her amazing hacking skills, and then Rapunzel had retrieved the diamond and they were ages away before anyone even knew they were there.

"And now we can relax," Hiccup said in agreement. As much as his dad would be ashamed of how he made his living, Hiccup loved it. He got to live with his three best friends, travelling the country and earning obscene amounts of cash, however unethical their methods were.

Thinking of his dad made him feel kinda guilty. He hadn't spoken to Stoick for almost two years after he had left. He'd never really regretted leaving his family behind, it was just him and his dad, and they weren't particularly close. Hiccup never met Stoick's expectations, but he still loved his dad.

Hiccup didn't talk about family much with the others; Merida had left hers behind like him, sick of trying to follow her mother's example, sick of being told to act like a lady, Rapunzel had been held captive by a woman she thought was her mother, only to find that she'd been abducted from her real parents when she was a baby, and Jack's entire family was dead, killed in the same accident that had turned his hair white and his eyes blue.

Hiccup suspected that not even Rapunzel knew what had happened to Jack, he wasn't very open about it. Jack was talkative until it came to sharing about himself. They didn't push him for an answer, except for Merida, but was just her being herself.

Running a hand through his hair, Hiccup leaned back into the old couch and stared at the ceiling. The place wasn't exactly clean, but it wasn't falling apart and that was better than a lot of places they'd camped out after a heist.

"Well, I wanna get some rest." Jack said, laying down on the couch. They hadn't found any mattresses, but he and Rapunzel obviously had no complaints about sharing. Rapunzel settled herself into the gap between Jack and the back of the couch, nestling her head in the crook of his arm and chest.

Hiccup and Merida, however, were a different matter. They got along great, but Merida liked her space. They found a semi-comfortable position, with Hiccup facing one way with his feet near Merida's head, and her feet near his. "Just don't kick me." He said, turning onto his side.

Merida grunted, placing the diamond back in its box and putting it on the floor below her.

It took a long time for Hiccup to feel tired, in which time Jack and Merida had fallen into a deep sleep. Trying to wake those two was like trying to wake the dead.

Knowing that moving wouldn't disturb her, Hiccup sat up. The sky outside was dark, the only light provided by the bustling city. He always had trouble sleeping the first night after a heist, like he was still wired with adrenaline.

"Hiccup?" He heard a voice whisper, and saw Rapunzel lift her head slightly.

Hiccup rubbed his eyes. "Hey Punz, what are you doing?"

She scoffed. "I could ask the same." She shifted slightly, careful not to wake Jack.

"I just can't get to sleep, that's all." He replied, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees.

Rapunzel nodded knowingly. "Me neither."

Hiccup frowned. "Have you been having more dreams?" He asked in concern. Ever since Rapunzel had gotten away from Gothel, the woman who abducted, she had had dreams about her seventeen years hidden from humanity. Most of them were about Gothel's death.

Even though the woman wasn't her real mother, she was the only person Rapunzel had known, the only one she'd ever loved until she met Jack.

"Yeah, but they're not as bad as they used to be." Rapunzel absentmindedly wove her fingers through her boyfriend's snowy hair.

Hiccup offered her an encouraging smile. "C'mon, we should get some sleep."

He lay back down, waiting for Rapunzel to fall asleep before he closed his eyes. Hopefully he got a good sleep, in a few days they'd be on the move again.

* * *

 **Ta-da!**

 **So that last little meaningless conversation was just in there to make the chapter a little bit longer, but I hope you all liked the first chapter.**

 **Future chapters will be a lot more eventful, and we'll learn more about their backstories :D**

 **Please R &R! ;P**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys!**

 **Thanks for reading the last chapter, please review?**

 **Wolfgirl619, I totally get what you mean, it really annoys me when people make Rapunzel super girly, I promise she won't be like that :D  
Amaya-chan07, I don't know if I want it to be like in the NYSM movie, but I think Jack will definitely have some perks from his accident. **

**Hope you all enjoy ;P**

* * *

Aster's POV

Ana pulled up along the curb outside the museum where the Big Four had been last. It was cut off from the public with black and yellow tape, and there were multiple over police cars parked outside.

Aster stepped out of the car, waiting for Ana before he ducked under the tape and walked into the building.

Almost immediately, they were cut off by another officer. "What do you two think you're doing?"

"We're here to investigate the crime scene." Ana held up her badge, brushing past the officer impatiently. He scowled after her, obviously displeased about being brushed off.

Aster presented his badge too, hurrying after his partner. Hopefully the local police hadn't touched anything yet, Aster knew that Ana liked to see a scene before any evidence was moved.

The museum that the Big Four had robbed was mostly undisturbed except for the small, seperate section that had once contained an extremely precious diamond. The thick glass that had protected the gem was unmarked and completely intact, meaning that the criminals had probably disabled the entire system and then simply removed the glass and put it back when they had what they needed.

The skill required to have hacked into the entire museum's sercurity complex was quite extraordinary, but Aster didn't doubt that Merida Dunbroch was capable of doing it, judging by her extensive file.

He guessed that it was the other blonde woman who had snuck in and stolen the diamond, and then Haddock would've provided the getaway. But where did that leave the other member of the four, what had he been doing?

Noticing the ultraviolet lights that were searching the floor for more prints, Aster found that there was only one pair of small footprints, so the other boy hadn't even been in the building.

"There doesn't seem to be anything we can use to find them," Ana said in disappointment. "Security cameras were down, no fingerprints, nothing that could tell us something we don't already know."

Ana was very thorough in her investigations, but they'd only been there for a few minutes. "Don't worry Tooth, we'll find something. We always do."

She gave him a small smile.

Aster turned to one of cops on the scene. "Do we have reports of stolen or unregistered cars in the area?"

If they were using getaway cars, Aster seriously doubted that they would use their own registered vehicles. The police officer handed Aster a folder brimming with papers. This was going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

Merida's POV

Merida woke the next feeling grouchy, which wasn't unusual for her in the morning. In fact, the whole group hated early mornings except for Rapunzel, she was always up first.

Jack and Punz had obviously already been out, as there were take-away coffee cups on the table in front of her. One of the numerous things that Merida hated about coming from a high-profile family was that the police had found out who she was the minute they got her photo on a security camera.

She and Hiccup were high up on police watch-lists, but they all knew that Jack and Rapunzel were still unknown to the authorities.

"Morning Mer," Hiccup said slowly, rubbing his tired eyes. She liked how he never said 'good morning', they both knew that such things didn't exist.

"Hey Hiccup." She grumbled in response, sitting up and grabbing the last coffee from the table. Taking a sip, she saw Jack and Punz being cuddly on the other couch and shared a gagging look with Hiccup. "Get a room you two."

Jack rolled his eyes, resting his chin on Rapunzel's shoulder. "Whatever, Mer."

"When are we gonna leave?" Rapunzel asked, leaning back against Jack's chest.

Merida considered her question. First she needed to find another car; the one she used for the heist was a really great car, but it would be on police lists already because it was unregistered, and using listed cars was a sure way to get themselves caught.

Of course, the car needed to be fast in order to outrun the cops, and they needed two.

"You didn't happen to come across any sports cars when you were looking for a place for to say, did you?" Hiccup asked Jack, who shook his head.

"In this area? As if Hic."

Rapunzel glanced down at the box that contained the diamond. "Well, either way, we have to get out of here soon."

They had a rule about staying in cities; after a heist they only stayed for a night before they left in order to avoid being caught. They had been pulling off these robberies for a number of months now, and only Jack had had personal run-ins with the police, the others were only identified because of cameras.

Though Merida felt sorry for Jack and Rapunzel, they may as well have been ghosts, their lack of records was extremely useful.

"Do you want us to go out and look for one?" Jack asked Hiccup. Though they all played their roles, Merida agreed that Hiccup was their leader of sorts.

Merida shook her head, even though the question was't directed at her. "It's too risky, they may not know ya name but they know what ya look like."

"Mer's right," Hiccup said. "We'll just make-do with anything we can find for now."

"Alright then, let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack and Merida walked casually down the street, trying to blend in.

Merida had a hood pulled over her head to hide for mass of red hair (thankfully the dark, stormy sky was a valid excuse) and Jack was wearing a beanie to cover his unusual white locks.

The four of them had split up like they usually did, Hiccup and Rapunzel searching the other side of town for their own get-away vehicle.

"What about that one?" Jack asked her, pointing at a Volkswagen parked in an alleyway behind a shop. He'd suggested just about every car they'd come across.

"Jack, when I find one, I'll tell ya." She snapped, her patience growing thin.

He gave her an inconspicuous nudge and pretended to look around, an obvious sign that they were passing a security camera. Merida pulled the device that resembled a phone out of her phone and faked replying to a text.

Jack let out a huff, and Merida rolled her eyes. The guy got bored so easily.

They had been searching the streets for what felt like ages, but was really only twenty minutes. Merida tried not to be picky, but she was used to driving nice cars, and Jack had already made it clear that his tolerance was wearing out.

"Ok, don't yell at me, but what about the Buick over there?" Jack said apprehensively, pointing to a Buick Regal parked off the street.

Merida felt a grin over her face. She'd heard about the new Buick design and its maneuverability. She gave Jack a pat on the shoulder and strode over to the car like it was her own. In a way that didn't warrant attention, she stuck a bobby pin into the key slot and picked the lock, opening the luxury car.

She slid in and opened the other, allowing her companion to sit in shotgun. With ridiculous ease, Merida hotwired the car and pulled away from the curb.

"Nice goin' Jackie," She grinned, shifting gears.

Jack opened his his mouth to respond, and at that moment, they heard the sirens.

* * *

Rapunzel's POV

"Hiccup go!" She screamed in alarm, seeing the police car in her rearview mirror. The police Dodge Charger was quickly gaining on them, even as Hiccup shifted gears and put the pedal to the metal.

Hiccup grabbed the handbrake and made a hard right, managing to execute a maneuver that was too difficult for the policeman driving the Charger. They shot through the streets, listening keenly for the sound of more sirens.

"Quick, call Jack and Merida." Hiccup said, turning down another road.

Rapunzel dug through her things for the communication device that Hiccup had made to replace mobile phones. She quickly dialed the number of Jack's device, holding it to her ear and waiting for her boyfriend to pick up.

"Zel? We heard the sirens, what happened?"

Rapunzel turned in her seat. "The cops are on our trail, you and Mer need to get out of here and meet us at the rendezvous point."

"Rapunzel, I am _not_ going to leave-"

"Jack," Rapunzel interrupted sharply. She appreciated that he cared for her, but she didn't need his constant protection. "Hiccup and I will be fine, we'll meet you, ok?"

For a moment there was complete silence on the other end, and Rapunzel knew that Jack was being stubborn. "Ok?" She said more insistently.

Jack let out a huff, "Fine, you better meet us soon."

"I love you," Rapunzel said.

"I love you too." He ended the call.

Rapunzel nodded at Hiccup, looking to see that there were now two more cars behind them. "Well, at least it will be easier for Mer to get out," Hiccup grumbled sarcastically, speeding through an intersection and causing multiple cars to brake and rear-end the drivers in front of them.

The speed dial on the car shifted steadily from 40 to 50 as Hiccup swerved into oncoming traffic, smoothly avoided crashing head-on into other vehicles, instead sending them careening into the police interceptors following them.

After the crash, there was only one car left, and Rapunzel saw the man in the driver's seat, a woman at his right. They both had determined looks plastered onto their faces.

Hiccup glanced back at them in the mirror, before giving the car more gas and trying to gain more distance. They crossed onto a bridge, weaving through traffic at scary speeds.

The cops obviously had a better idea of self-preservation, though they were definitely set on chasing till they couldn't anymore. Rapunzel gripped the edge of her seat as Hiccup pressed the accelerator harder, pushing the speed dial up to 60.

Oncoming traffic veered out of their path, blasting their horns and screaming out the windows. In the sky to their left, a news helicopter hovered filming the scene unfold. Hiccup cut in front of an eighteen-wheeler, using the truck to block them from the police officers' view.

Rapunzel let out a breath she had been holding. She didn't mind the high speed, but this was her first real experience with the police. Anxiety about what would happen if she and Hiccup got caught started to build up, and she tried to force it down. Hiccup wouldn't let them be caught.

Seeing the police Charger slip into an opening to go out from behind the truck, Rapunzel turned to warn Hiccup. He turned into the wrong lane, driving dangerously close to the edge of the bridge.

The Charger was stuck behind, and Hiccup gave them no time to catch up, zooming back into the city and turning through the streets, hiding behind tall buildings in order to lose the news helicopter.

Once out of sight, Hiccup searched for an underground carpark. Parking the car, Rapunzel and Hiccup bolted, leaping over the concrete barrier and entering the crowd of people on the street.

Rapunzel kept her head down, and Hiccup pulled up his hood to conceal his face. "C'mon, we'll get another car and then go meet Merida and Jack," Hiccup said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Sirens blaring, three cops cars sped past in a single-file line, heading in the direction that she and Hiccup would've been going if they were still in the car. They paid the two of them no mind.

Hiccup approached the first car they came across, more interested in ditching the city then getting a quality car. Hot-wiring the engine, Rapunzel and Hiccup melted into the traffic, following the highway out of the city.

* * *

 **Guys, I am _SO_ sorry for the long wait! I hit a serious writing slump, I haven't updated anything, I'm so sorry!**

 **I promise I'll try to update sooner next time, I only have a few weeks of school left and then I'm on summer holidays**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, bit more action in it ;)**

 **Please R &R :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys!**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter xD**

* * *

Jack's POV

Jack and Merida had arrived at the rendezvous point shortly after he received the call from Rapunzel.

Needless to say, Jack was a bit worried.

Waiting in the designated building, Jack paced up and down the length of the room while Merida perched atop a bench, watching him with a bored expression.

All of the worst scenarios played through Jack's head as he worried at his bottom lip, running hands through his hair and muttering under his breath.

Rolling her eyes and growing tired of his actions, Merida snapped. "Oh for god's sake. Jack, would ya stop tha'?"

Jack turned to her with a glare. Could she blame him for being concerned after he hears police sirens and receives a call from his girlfriend, telling him that the cops are after her and that she wants him to leave and meet her later?

"Look," Merida said when she saw his expression. "Ah'm worried too, but honestly, if ah was them, ah'd be offended that ya didn't think they could handle themselves."

Jack sighed. "It's not that I think they can't handle themselves..." He trailed off.

Before Merida could reply, they heard another car pull up outside the building. Feeling excitement bubbling up, Jack dashed to the window to see Hiccup and Rapunzel getting out of the car.

He beamed, rushing out to the sidewalk. He swept Rapunzel into a hug, feeling totally elated at having her there, before he set her back down and fixed her with a stern look. "Don't you ever tell me to leave you again."

Rapunzel smiled slightly. "C'mon Jack, don't give me that. How was that any different than what you do?"

"It is different!" Jack protested. "When I do it it's part of a plan, and-"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and gave him a peck on the lips, before she grabbed his hand and led him back inside. Hiccup was already there, standing by a bench with Merida.

"We need to work out our next move," He said. "Do we already have a buyer for the diamond?"

Merida had placed the precious stone in front of them. It was often very difficult to find buyers who could actually afford the price, and even then many people didn't want it because of how it had been acquired. Of course, they never told clients that it was stolen, but some had ways of figuring it out.

"Shouldn't we lay low for a while, you know, with the police on our tail?" Rapunzel inquired.

Jack shook his head, "No, we need to keep moving. They'll have a higher chance of finding us if we stay in one place."

Jack was pretty much an expert on being a fugitive. He'd been running from the authorities ever since he was fourteen, keeping himself alive and learning things on the streets. He didn't get lessons in archery like Merida, didn't have top-notch education like Hiccup, but he had his own skills.

"Jack's right," Merida said. "I don't know how those cops found ya before, but we can't let them get tha' close again."

Hiccup pursed his lips, deep in thought. "We need to get some information first, I think."

"Information about what?" Jack asked.

"If we can find out what the police already know, we can go ahead from there. They must have new investigators on the case, and we need to know who they are as well."

Rapunzel grinned at Jack. "We can get that, can't we Jackie?"

"Definitely." Jack replied with a smile.

* * *

Ana's POV

Ana could tell that her partner was frustrated. She was too.

They had been so close, two of the criminals had been right in front of them. Ana had no idea how they had disappeared so quickly, but they were probably long gone by now.

"Aster, it's ok. We'll get another chance." She said, putting a hand gently on the man's shoulder.

Aster let out a sigh, turning to look at her with emerald green eyes. "Yeah, I know. It's just-"

Ana shook her head. "There's no use dwelling on it, we just have to get back to work and find out where they're going to hit next."

Aster nodded, giving her a small smile.

They were sitting in their car, parked on the side of the road. After failing to catch the members of the Big Four, Aster hadn't been too keen to drive back to the station. Ana had no doubts that it had been Henry Haddock, and the other mystery blonde girl.

When they had been patrolling the city and had seen the brown-haired man slip into the car, they had immediately called for back-up and given chase.

" _Fey, Bunnymund, we have received two new reports of stolen cars; a Buick Regal and a Jeep Cherokee. They are believed to be stolen around the same time the Big Four made their getaway."_ A police officer notified them over the transmitter connected to their radio.

"Copy that," Aster replied, before turning the key in the ignition and pulling back into traffic.

They traveled in silence, not really needing to talk.

At least they had another lead now. Two cars to search for, though Ana doubted that the four criminals were dumb enough to keep using the vehicles. They would likely steal more before moving to their next target.

They arrived at the station shortly after, and thankfully North didn't appear to be mad.

"Was good try, you almost had them," He said, patting Aster hard on the shoulder. Ana had never been happier about having such an understanding chief commissioner.

"We have reports of two cars that were stolen at the time of the Big Four's escape." Aster said, resting for forearms on the back of a chair.

North nodded. "Then we will track them."

"We should also keep an eye on any expensive treasures and new exhibits." Ana added. If they knew what items might be possible targets, they could work out where the Big Four were going to hit next.

North left the room with Aster, and Ana headed down the hallway to the office she and Aster shared, sitting down at her desk. There was a stack of files on the bench-top, all relating to the Big Four case.

She grabbed the one off the top pile, opening it to find the very brief description of the other male in the group. Ana found it beyond strange that there wasn't any record at all of him or the blonde girl who had been the car earlier.

How was it that two people managed to escape notice for twenty years? No birth certificates, school records, no sign of them anywhere in the network. For hours, Ana studied the files, and for the most part people didn't disturb her.

Aster came in a few times to let her know when he had found something about a possible target, but he knew that when she was working hard, she blocked everything out and was practically a machine.

Finally, Ana had looked over every piece of paper. She had found nothing that they didn't already know. There didn't seem to be a pattern, the Big Four was just completely random.

She ran a hand over her face, rubbing her eyes, the energy that usually filled her now completely spent.

"Tooth?"

She didn't need to look to know that it was Aster. If his Australian accent hadn't given him away, the nickname would've; no one called her Tooth but Aster.

She looked up at him, seeing that he looked just as tired as she felt. By now everyone else had left the station.

"C'mon, let's get something to eat, and I'll drive ya home." He said, and Ana rose from her seat.

They walked out onto the street, locking the station behind them. Ana was so exhausted that she didn't even notice the couple sitting across the street.

* * *

Rapunzel's POV

Rapunzel tugged the beanie lower over her plaited hair.

Jack sat opposite her, long legs stretched out under the small round table. He too had a beanie pulled over his hair, concealing his give-away feature. He looked a lot happier now that she was with him, and she was glad that she could make him feel that way.

They had been sitting there for a while, but had shared a meal, even though neither of them were hungry, to avoid suspicion. Now, hands clasped on top of the table, they probably looked like any other young couple.

Thinking about it, Rapunzel almost that they were normal for just a moment. She could imagine that she was just a college girl, out on a date with her amazing boyfriend.

There must've been an odd expression on her face, because Jack's small smile formed into a frown and he sat forward in his seat. "You ok, Zel?"

She smiled a little at him. Jack had called her 'Zel' since they first met, claiming that her full name was too long. She gripped his hand a bit tighter. "Yeah, I was just thinking."

Jack began to open his mouth, obviously about to ask what she was thinking about, when they caught a movement in their peripheral vision.

Two police officers were now coming out of the station, locking the door before they continued to walk off down the street. They had seen numerous policemen exit the building, but now all the lights were off. The station was finally empty.

Glad that they finally got to do something, Jack's frown morphed back into a mischievous lop-sided smirk. "Time to go."

Rapunzel grinned back at him, still clutching his hand as they stood up.

Jack and Rapunzel walked alone the sidewalk, hand-in-hand, before they rounded a corner and crossed the road. Forming a complete circle, they were now behind the station, in a deserted back-road.

The station was two-story, the ladders on the fire escape rolled up and out of reach. Without a doubt, all the windows would be locked, but they didn't even bothered trying with one of the first story windows, private files and offices would most likely be on the top floor.

Jack was tall, and he could definitely jump high enough to reach the ladder, but they both knew that it would probably cause a lot of noise. Beckoning for her to come closer, Jack knelt down and clasped his hands to form a little platform.

Rapunzel stepped onto his hands with one foot, holding onto his shoulder for balance as he straightened quickly and raised her above his head. Rapunzel released Jack's shoulder and gripped the bottom rung, letting him lower her gently back down, pulling the ladder with her.

She had never been so glad to be as light as she was. She grabbed a higher rung and began to pull herself up, Jack following behind her.

When they reached the top, Jack pulled the ladder back up in-case someone came past. Just to be sure, Rapunzel tried the window and found it locked. Unsure if was latched or if it needed a key, she turned to Jack.

He pulled a long switch blade out of his jacket and handed it to her, waiting while she slid the knife through the gap in the frame; if there was a latch, she'd be able to open it, if not, they'd probably have to break the glass.

She sighed in relief when the latch on the other side was forced open, and she gave the switch blade back to Jack and lifted the window open, slipping inside the dark room. Jack followed her, lowering the window partially.

Looking around, Rapunzel let out a huff. "Where to start?"

Jack studied the ceiling of the room, searching for security cameras. He grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her into a blind spot, narrowly avoiding being spotted.

There was a computer desk next to them, and Rapunzel sat down and logged onto the computer. It was conveniently connected to the security system, and using one of Hiccup's special inventions, managed to hack the network. She may not have had Merida's uncanny hacking skills, but she still knew her way around a computer.

Rapunzel and Jack made their way through the rooms, searching for any information that could be useful.

Splitting up so they could search the place faster, Rapunzel took one side of the floor while Jack took the other.

Trying a door and finding it locked, Rapunzel hastily broke into the room. Inside were two desks, both piled high with papers. There was a name plaque on each desk, signalling that the two officers who shared the room were fairly highly ranked.

Rapunzel approached the nearest desk, taking up one of the files. The papers inside contained details on a robbery, pictures showing the scene. Rapunzel immediately recognised the building in the photos as the museum they robbed last.

"Jack," She called softly, picking up another file and finding a report on Merida. She bit her lip; they knew a lot about the red-haired girl.

Jack appeared in the room shortly after, peering over Rapunzel's shoulder. "Oh shit," He muttered when he saw the detailed file.

He moved to the other desk and did the same. "Hey, this one's about us, Zel."

"And?" She asked, concerned. They knew that the police had photographic evidence of her and Jack, but surely they couldn't have found anything else.

Jack shook his head. "They only have our picture, and they're pretty bad ones at that. They also haven't found any trail that could lead them to us."

Rapunzel let out a sigh of relief. "So they don't really know anything. That's good."

"Yeah, but they'll find something eventually, Zel." Jack replied, throwing the file back onto the desk. "These are good investigators, they're bound to find a lead."

Rapunzel turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "How do you know that they're good?"

Jack hung his head, apparently realizing his mistake. "Ugh, um...well, after the...accident," He cringed at the word, and pointed at the name plaque on the desk next to Rapunzel. "Officer Bunnymund was the one who was investigating the case; they thought it might've been a murder."

He choked up a bit at the memory of his family's deaths, and Rapunzel strode towards him and reached up, taking his face into her hands so she could look him in the eye.

"It was before my hair and eyes changed colour, so he probably hasn't recognized me, and I ran off before they could question me on what had happened. But I kept track of their progress, and they were mostly right in their reports, except for who they thought had done it."

Rapunzel ran a hand through his hair and pulled his forehead down to hers. She didn't need him to say anymore, she understood. "It's ok, Jack. We have what we need, we should get out of here."

"We're just going to leave all this stuff? Even after I told you that they'll find something in there?"

Rapunzel grabbed Jack's hand and started pulling him towards the door. "They can't know we were in here, now lets go."

"It's a bit late for that, mate."

* * *

 **Oooohh, I'm sorry that was mean, haha**

 **Please R &R ;D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys!**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter ;D**

* * *

Aster's POV

For the first time since he'd met Ana, she'd been so exhausted that she'd forgotten something.

They'd been driving towards a diner when she realized that she'd left her mobile phone on her desk. Normally, he knew that she'd just survive without it for the night, but on a case as important as the one they were on at the moment, they were receiving calls almost constantly.

So Aster had turned around to drive back to the station, and it was a good thing that they had.

Ana had unlocked the front door and they were half-way up the stairs when Aster heard a noise. Hearing things wasn't at all uncommon in the city, but Aster had an uncanny sense of hearing.

He held his hand out for Ana to stop and advanced slowly and quietly, taking a pistol from under one of the desks on the second floor.

Now within close range of their office, Aster could hear voices coming from inside the room. Two, a male and a female.

He crept closer to the door, Ana following his lead and grabbing a gun.

"We're just going to leave all this stuff? Even after I told that they'll find something in there?" The man in the room asked.

There was a light footfall walking towards the slightly open door. "They can't know we were in here, now let's go."

Aster kicked the door open the rest of way and raised his gun. "It's a bit late for that, mate."

The two intruders turned to him in shock, and as his eyes rested on Aster's weapon, the man immediately pushed the woman behind him. They remained completely still, but in the dark it was still quite difficult to get a good look at them.

Even so, Aster had no doubts about who was in the room.

"Well, well," Aster said, stepping forward into the room. "And I thought I'd have to put more effort into catching you."

The man raised an eyebrow in a mocking expression. "You think you've caught us?"

"You have nowhere to go, young man. Put your hands up." Ana said as she too came into the office, once again blocking the entrance.

The two unknown members of the Big Four took a step back, inching closer to Aster's desk. He thought he saw the girl's hand creep into the pocket of her partner's shirt, and just had time to shout a warning before the girl reached out from behind the man and hurled what looked like a switch blade.

The knife sailed through the air, but Ana was fast enough to dodge, only suffering a superficial cut to her shoulder.

Aster leaped forward, only to be sent crashing over the desk as the man grabbed the chair and swung, catching Aster in the side.

The man ran to the door and grabbed Ana's wrist, lifting her hands as she fired a shot. The woman ducked through the doorway, and the man followed her after slamming Ana back against the wall.

"Shit!" Aster growled, he and Ana quickly giving chase. Raising their guns and firing several rounds, they just missed the boy as he baseball-slid under a table.

He came back up on the other side with a gun of his own, but luckily for them he had no knowledge of how many bullets were loaded. After recklessly firing, he quickly ran out of ammo.

"Come on!" The girl yelled as she held open the window that had obviously been their entrance.

Aster thrust the gun into the waistband of his jeans, decking the younger man before he could reach the window.

Grabbing onto Aster's arms, the man yelled to his accomplice. "Go! Run!"

She gave him a fairly fierce look, but she turned away when Ana started coming after her.

Finally able to get his hands out of the other's ice cold grip, Aster pulled his right arm back and struck the criminal across the face. The man let out a barely audible grunt, reaching up and wrapping a hand around Aster's throat.

Grabbing onto his forearm with his other hand, the boy managed to gain enough momentum to flip the two of them over, letting go of Aster's arm to deliver his own punch.

Aster gasped for air, striking his opponent multiple time before he brought his leg up and wrapped it around the boy's shoulders. Aster pulled the boy off him, and the two of them both jumped to their feet.

Looking over Aster's shoulder and seeing that the window that was his escape route had been shut, the man turned on his heel and bolted. Aster sprinted after him, only to be slowed down considerably when the boy performed a move that Aster could only dream of.

The boy jumped down the stairs to land on one of the platforms, grabbing the railing and jumping over it, reaching the ground floor before Aster had even made it down a few of the steps.

Aster swore under his breath, pushing himself to run faster as the criminal shoved open the front door and ran onto the sidewalk.

It had said in his file that the boy was a master at blending into the crowd, but at this time of night there were barely any people around, and nowhere for the boy to hide.

Spotting him running off to the right, Aster pursued. The boy may have been fast, but Aster was definitely faster on straight paths. He'd started to gain on the boy when he turned into a side-alley. He jumped on top of a dumpster pushed against the side wall, and leaped into the air to grab onto a fire escape above him.

Aster followed the boy's movements, albeit slower, and started to climb after him. Skipping multiple rungs at a time, the two of them reached the top of the building very fast.

Running over the flat roof, the boy jumped the gap onto the building next door. Letting out a huff and running after him, Aster pulled the gun out again and fired, missing the boy by inches.

Gaining ground, Aster had reached out to grab the young man's shirt when he suddenly dropped down between two close buildings. Looking down and seeing him make his way down by holding onto the windowsills either side, Aster felt his jaw drop open. Reaching the ground again in record time, the boy look up to make sure Aster hadn't followed, before he bolted out of the alley.

Knowing that there was no way he could go down the same way, Aster aimed very carefully, shooting before the young man got onto the street. He heard the boy make a pained moan as the bullet buried itself into his back, a very serious injury, though thankfully it wasn't a fatal shot; even when fighting criminals, Aster knew that he'd never be able to forgive himself if he killed someone.

Impressively, the boy managed to keep running, however Aster could certainly see the difference in speed and agility. He was starting to think he would have a chance of catching up when he saw a motorbike pull up.

The girl waved her hand at her partner, and he sat behind her and all but collapsed against her back as she sped away.

"Shit! Goddamn it!" Aster let lose a stream of curses as they got away yet again. They had literally been in the police station!

Aster climbed back down the fire escape, looking in the direction that they had gone.

* * *

Rapunzel's POV

Rapunzel winced at the groan of pain that escaped Jack's lips as the motorbike sputtered to a stop; Rapunzel knew how to ride, but it wasn't a very smooth trip.

"Sorry Jackie."

She knew that he'd been shot, however the location and severity of the injury was unknown to her. About halfway back to their hideout, Jack had almost passed out, Rapunzel only hoped it was because of the pain and not blood loss.

Rapunzel slipped off the bike, holding Jack up so he wouldn't fall forward. Not wanted to take the risk of calling out to Merida and Hiccup, she struggled against Jack's bigger weight and height, trying to get him off the bike and into the building.

She slipped under his arm, draping it over her shoulders and wrapping her own around his torso. She could feel the dampness of his back through the thin sleeve of her shirt and swallowed to get rid of the horrible taste in her mouth.

They'd made it inside the doorway when Jack became a complete dead weight, slumping against her. "C'mon Jackie, you can do this."

After he'd been so worried about her, he was one who ended up being hurt. Rapunzel had been lucky enough to cut away from the other cop with nothing but a few scrapes.

"Rapunzel? Jack?"

Rapunzel sighed in relief. "Oh Hiccup, thank god. Jack's hurt, help me."

Hiccup's eyes widened in alarm, and he took Jack's other side, taking most of the burden from Rapunzel. The two of them carried Jack deeper into the building, praying that they wouldn't have to try and get him up the stairs.

Hiccup grumbled. "Ugh, Rapunzel lift his feet."

He hooked his arms under Jack's while Rapunzel followed his instructions and they carefully made their way up the staircase with a practically unconscious man between them.

"Oh mah God! Wha' happened?" Merida demanded as she saw them. She quickly cleared the table so they could put Jack on it, before she retrieved the first aid kit that they always made sure to have.

They had the basic tools that they'd need, but unfortunately for Jack that didn't include high-strength painkillers.

Merida helped Hiccup and Rapunzel to lift Jack onto the table, laying him down on his stomach. Jack groaned loudly as he shifted, his entire body tensing, making the bleeding worse.

Hiccup started to cut Jack's shirt off his back, revealing lots of red skin and a very deep bullet wound. The projectile had missed his spinal cord, buried into the right side of his back several centimeters below the rib cage.

He'd been shot from an angle, which would made it extremely difficult -and painful- to get the bullet out.

Rapunzel gripped Jack's hand as Merida used a cloth to clean his back. He was in a bad way, his forehead covered with a sheen of sweat, his eyelids flickered weakly as he struggled to stay awake, his breath was shaky.

Holding his hand, Rapunzel pressed two fingers to his wrist, finding his pulse fast but getting weaker. Biting her lip, she started to let go only for Jack to squeeze her hand back.

"Zel?" He asked weakly, his blue eyes clouded but looking straight at her.

Rapunzel pulled his beanie off and brushed his hair back. "Shh. You're gonna be ok."

She released his hand after giving it a reassuring squeeze. Merida had finished cleaning his back and Hiccup had prepared a needle and thread, bandages, gauze and antiseptic.

"Alright, try and hold him still," Hiccup said, picking up a large pair of tweezers.

Sucking in a breath and placing her hands on Jack's shoulders, she and Merida exchanged a glance. Hiccup muttered an apology to Jack before he slid the tweezers into the wound to try and get the bullet out.

Jack let out a yell, writhing in agony. Rapunzel and Merida pressed down harder on his shoulders, but Jack was a lot stronger than he looked. Rapunzel prayed that he would pass out so he wouldn't be in as much pain.

Thankfully, Hiccup had a lot of practice getting bullets out, and it only took him seconds to extract the shell buried in his friend's back. Hiccup and Rapunzel swapped positions as she picked up the needle and began to work on stitching the wound shut.

With the metal object out his side, Jack had let out a breath of relief, though his body still trembled.

"Good job Jack, stay with us," Merida whispered, running fingers through his hair as Rapunzel stitched the injury with careful speed and precision.

Once Rapunzel was done, she held a patch of gauze over the closed wound, taping the edges to keep it in place. "Ok, done. Is there any pain relief medicine we can give him?" She asked in concern.

Merida dug out a packet of Aspirin, unfortunately it was all they had. Hiccup turned Jack over and helped him into a sitting position while Rapunzel got a cup of water. Merida popped two tablets into Jack's mouth and Rapunzel pressed the cup to his lips.

He was coherent enough to swallow the medicine, and Hiccup supported him as he stood and laid him down gently on the couch, where he finally fell asleep.

Hiccup sighed, looking to Rapunzel and Merida. They were all covered in blood, and so was the table, but at least Jack was ok for now.

* * *

 **Woah, eventful chapter there.**

 **So, I know next to nothing about bullet wounds, as I have never been shot before, but anyway.**

 **Please R &R ;D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys!**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter ;D**

* * *

As soon as Jack had passed out, the other three started to clean up the room.

Luckily they had spare clothes, otherwise they would've ended up either shirtless or covered in blood. After they had cleaned themselves and disposed of all the ruined clothing, Rapunzel told Hiccup and Merida everything that had occurred.

She told them about what she and Jack had found in the files, and about the two police officers investigating the case, how the two cops had shown up as they were leaving and had tried to arrest them. She said that one of them had gone after her while Jack led the other one in the opposite direction, and that he'd been shot just as she'd arrived with the motorbike.

"Did the cops get a good look at you?" Hiccup asked.

Rapunzel shook her head. "I don't think so; it was too dark in the station and we were moving too fast after that."

"Ok, but now we really need to get outta here." Merida said.

"As soon as Jack wakes up, we'll leave."

They decided that one of them would stay awake to keep an eye on Jack, swapping the watch every few hours. Merida insisted on watching first, and though Rapunzel protested, Hiccup could tell that she was exhausted.

Hiccup laid there for ages trying to fall asleep. For months now he only got a couple hours a night, granted, none of them really slept well. He really tried not to overthink these kind of situations, but Jack was like his brother.

His friends followed his actions, and he couldn't help but feel like it was his fault that his brother was lying unconscious on the couch only a few feet away. Sure, Rapunzel had suggested the mission, and you couldn't really make Jack do anything he didn't want to do, but Hiccup had let them go, he hadn't argued that it might've been a bad idea for even a second.

He'd managed to get to sleep for a couple hours he guessed before Merida woke him for the next watch. Rapunzel would definitely be mad at them for letting her sleep instead of waking her.

Hiccup and Merida switched positions, Merida taking up his spot while he sat near the couch to keep an eye on Jack's condition.

He couldn't see much in the dim light, but Jack certainly looked better. Jack was pale, but there was a bit of colour returning to his face. His sleep didn't seem to be too disturbed, despite the fact that he was lying on his back, which was another good sign.

As long as Jack didn't get a fever, which he was annoyingly susceptible to, he would be okay.

Hiccup sat there a while, managing to stay awake despite how sleep deprived he was getting. After glancing at his watch to determine the time, he was about to get up and wake Rapunzel, when Jack stirred and his eyes started to flutter.

His face screwed up slightly as he fought to open his eyes. His gaze was cloudy, and his voice was hoarse as he groaned out a word. "Ow."

Hiccup almost laughed at him, figuring it was just like Jack to play off such a big injury with the word 'ow'.

"You're such an idiot," Hiccup chuckled softly. Jack managed a small smile, his face still contorted in pain.

Jack closed his eyes for a moment, and Hiccup thought he'd passed out again for a moment, before his friend turned back towards him, his expression suddenly serious.

"Is Rapunzel ok?" He choked out.

Hiccup looked over at Jack's girlfriend. "She's fine, just worried about you."

Jack nodded. "Did she tell you what happened?"

"Jack, you were shot in the back," Hiccup replied in answer. "I don't think you realize just how lucky you are, an inch to the left had that bullet could've hit your spine. You could've been paralyzed, Jack."

"I know," Jack let out a breath, wincing slightly. He looked into Hiccup's face, and Hiccup found that he couldn't look him in the eye. "Hiccup...I'll be alright."

Hiccup bit his lip, still looking at the ground. "Go back to sleep, Jack, you need the rest."

Jack frowned slightly, brows drawing together, before he grudgingly nodded and shut his eyes. Hiccup waited until he knew for sure that Jack was out cold, then stood up and pushed his friend's snowy hair back from his forehead.

He moved silently across the room and woke Rapunzel for the next watch.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ana and Aster sat glumly in their chairs at the debriefing. Commissioner North sat at the head of the table, understanding of their mood.

"Are you certain it was members of the Big Four?" The Russian asked.

Ana nodded. "Yes, it was them. The two that don't have any records."

She couldn't believe that they'd gotten away again. Besides the knife, they hadn't even bought any weapons with them, and still they outran Aster and Ana.

"They won't get far though," Aster added. "I shot the boy in the back as they were riding away, he'll be out of it for a good while."

"You shot him?" North sounded concerned.

Aster nodded again.

Ana remembered him telling her that the strange, white-haired young man had seemed familiar. Ana wasn't sure how that was possible if the boy didn't have any records, but she trusted her partner. Maybe she'd have to look into it.

"Will we be able to find them before he's better?"

Ana and Aster nodded simultaneously. There was no way they'd let the four young adults get away again, especially not when of them was out of commission.

After being dismissed by North, the two cops went back to their office. Immediately, Ana headed for the pile of files they had. She'd heard the boy that they'd find something in here eventually, so they'd just have to look again.

"So, you think you recognize that boy?" Ana asked, sliding the near blank file over to Aster.

His eyes burned into the photo for a moment before he answered. "Yes, but I don't remember ever meeting someone that young with white hair."

"Do you think he dyed it?"

Aster scoffed, "Must be some bloody strong chemicals to dye it white..." He trailed off. "Oh shit."

Ana's eyes widened. "What?"

Aster leaped up from his seat, grabbing Ana's hand and pulling her out of the office. He led her through the workstations, before pushing open the door the file room.

"Look for files from 2009." Aster said, going to one end of the room.

Without asking any questions, Ana followed his lead and went to other side of the room, searching the many shelves for cases dated in 2009. She had no idea what lead Aster was trying to follow, but she prayed it wouldn't be a dead end.

"Aster! Found them," She announced five minutes later, pulling open a drawer brimming with manila folders. Aster rushed over, sorting through the hundreds of folders with his fingers, until he beamed and pulled out a file.

"Here it is," He said, showing Ana the folder marked ' _Overland family'._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When day finally came again, the Big Four were all sitting up, except for Jack of course.

They all looked exhausted, but they all knew that they had to get a move on before the cops found them again. Which meant that they have to completely erase all evidence of their stay here (something that was going to be incredibly difficult, considering the fact that the table was covered with Jack's blood) and find another car, one big enough for Jack to lay down in.

Quickly discussing their options, Hiccup and Merida left to go find their next new getaway vehicle, while Rapunzel started to clean up the room, brushing her hand through his hair as she passed him.

Jack felt incredibly bored and useless, stuck on the couch watching his girlfriend clean up his mess.

He wouldn't tell any of them, but he was also unbelievably embarrassed. A simple gathering of information, and he couldn't even manage that without getting himself hurt, not to mention possibly getting Rapunzel captured.

"Zel?" He called. Rapunzel looked up from where she was scrubbing at the table and gave him a slight smile.

"I don't want you to do all the cleaning."

Her grin widened, and she set down her things and walked back towards him. "Jack, its fine. You know I used to do all the cleaning back with Gothel."

Even if she said it without a pause, Jack caught the slight cringe in her words. Any other person would've thought that Rapunzel had left her childhood far behind her, but Jack knew her far better than that.

"Exactly."

Taking his hand, Rapunzel lightly kissed his forehead, then his lips. "It's ok, Jackie. Hiccup and Mer will be back soon and then they can help."

Jack groaned. "I hate this couch. I want to do something!"

"Of course you do, but you'll just have to wait."

Jack huffed, sticking out his lower lip in a pout that made Rapunzel laugh.

"Jack, you're staying on that couch, understood?"

Before he could argue, Rapunzel pulled her hand out of his and walked away, picking up a sponge and rubbing vigorously at a splotch on the bench.

Jack sat in misery for what felt like eternity. He was _not_ the type of guy that liked to sit still for long, and his friends were kidding themselves if they thought they could keep him from helping.

While Rapunzel was conveniently turned away, Jack gripped the top of the sofa with one hand, pulling himself up, ignoring the sudden sparking pain in his back. Sitting as straight as he could, he pushed the queasy feeling back and planted one foot on the floor, then the other.

"Jack! What tha bloody hell do ya think ya doin?"

Jack let out a loud groan, holding his hands up at being caught red-handed. Hiccup and Merida had come back, and the Scottish girl did not look pleased with him.

"Guys, honestly, I'm not helpless."

"Ya will be when I'm done with ya." Merida retorted.

Hiccup put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a look. It was really such a minuscule thing to blow up over, but he knew she was just being protective. Rapunzel came over them, arms crossed over her chest and looking at Jack disapprovingly.

"Alright, fine! I'll sit around for days being useless and bored, happy?"

His girlfriend shook her head in exasperation. "Well, I finished cleaning the place, are you good to go?"

Hiccup and Merida nodded, and Jack sighed in relief. "Oh thank _god,_ help me up."

Hiccup rolled his eyes and slipped Jack's arm over his shoulders, helping his best friend to his feet. Using Hiccup for support, Jack followed Rapunzel and Merida to the back of the building where they'd parked a 4X4.

Rapunzel opened the back door and helped Jack get in before climbing in after him, and Hiccup went to the passenger seat while Merida started up the car.

"Where to now?" She asked, shifting into gear and pulling out onto the road.

Hiccup frowned slightly. He hadn't spoken with them for years, but hoepfully they didn't hate him that much. "I think I know somewhere we can stay for a few days."

* * *

 **Woah, I am super sorry for not updating for so long, especially after giving you such an uneventful chapter, but now we're starting to get this moving along.**

 **I don't really have an excuse for making you guys wait for so long, but I've been really stressed lately, I started year 11 VCE and I was moved to a new campus at my job and I really haven't been coping with things well at all, I've been getting really bad anxiety, but writing it really one of the only things I can do right that won't make me nervous. Anyway, if my writing is a little off, that's why.**

 **Still, I hope you liked it, please R &R, hopefully next wait won't be that long ;D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys!**

 **So this is were we finally get a moving investigation for Ana and Aster, and I will be introducing new characters that you guys will hopefully be happy to see! And honestly, the character shouldn't really be a surprise.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter ;D**

* * *

Hiccup's POV

Hiccup spent the majority of their long trip telling Merida which direction to go in, finding ways to leave out where exactly he was taking them.

He just really hoped that the person he was taking them to would be able to forget their very complicated past and help his friend. He also hoped the Merida wouldn't realize who this person was, she probably wouldn't be very happy about it.

They had left the abandoned building hours ago, and it was now that the lack of sleep from the past few days started to catch up on him. Rapunzel seemed to have suffered the same, as she had passed out against Jack, who was watching the road pass by his window. Strangely, despite the cringe of pain that Hiccup had seen on his face when he'd tried to get up on his own, he didn't look too bothered by sitting straight, at least not yet anyway.

"So, Hiccup," Merida asked, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel. "Do ya wanna enlighten us on where ya takin' us to?"

Hiccup shrugged, attempting to brush her off. "I told you, an old friend."

Jack scoffed from the back seat. "That is the biggest bullshit I've ever heard. I bet its an ex-girlfriend or something."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jack." Hiccup rebutted, miffed at how spot-on his friend was.

Almost immediately, Merida's eyes flashed with rage and she shot him a venomous look before turning back to the road. "Ya honestly wanna take us to _her?_ "

Glaring back at Jack through the rear-view mirror, he let out a sigh. "She can give us a place to stay, and she could get hold of Fishlegs, who will be able to help Jack significantly better than any of us can, well except for Rapunzel."

"Seriously," Jack spoke up, bringing up a comment completely irrelevant to the rest of the conversation. "Your friends and their nicknames! _Fishlegs?"_

Ignoring Jack's smart-ass remarks, Merida gritted her teeth. "What even makes ya think tha' she'll let ya stay? From what Ah heard, ya didn't exactly part on good terms. How do ya know she won't turn us in?"

"Mer, please. She won't, I promise. And if she doesn't want to stay she'll at least tell us who _will_ take us in. Trust me, we'll be fine."

At the words ' _trust me'_ Merida's hard teal gaze softened slightly, and Hiccup knew that he was half-way to winning her over. After their latest escapade, he was surprised that the words' trust me' were still effective, but he really should've known by now that if nothing else, his friends were loyal to a fault.

"Ok. I trust ya, but if even the tiniest thing goes wrong, I'll belt ya."

"Noted," Hiccup smiled, earning the smallest tug of Merida's lips in return.

* * *

Aster's POV

Aster read over the Overland case, Ana hovering over his shoulder as she too tried to make a connection between the family tragedy and the Big Four.

In a horrific chemical explosion, three members of the Overland were killed; mother Hazel, father Edward, and their eight-year old daughter, Emma. This left fourteen year-old Jackson the only survivor, and an orphan. With no family left to take care of him, Jackson was supposed to go into the foster system, but after his brief time in custody, he mysteriously disappeared without a trace. It was believed that he too must have died at a later date of the chemical poisoning.

And now the Big Four, including a boy who is around the same age that Jackson would be now, shows up with no records at all. Looking at the photo of the Overland family, Aster could see a slight resemblance between the two boys, even if hadn't really gotten a good look at the criminal.

"Do you think it's Jackson?" Ana asked, reaching over him and picking up the picture of the deceased group.

Aster rubbed his chin. "Possibly. With his changed appearance there isn't much chance that the system would make the link to a boy who was presumed dead nearly eight years ago. Is there any way that he could've erased himself from the system?"

Ana pursed her lips in thought. "Well, yes, that Merida Dunbroch would have the skill needed to hack into the system, but he's been off the record for too long for her to have done this when they started the robberies. Jackson wasn't charged was he?"

Aster shook his head. They had wanted to question the teen under suspicion, but the kid had vanished before any charges had been officially issued. There wasn't evidence to proof whether he did it, or whether he didn't for that matter. Plus, judging by how devastated the kid had been, there was no doubt in Aster's mind that he was innocent, he couldn't have possibly have killed his family.

Unfortunately though, it looked as though Jackson had fallen into crime anyway. Aster was almost saddened by the thought, Jackson had seemed like a good kid when Aster had met him all those years ago. _The life of an orphan on the streets can change a person, I suppose._

"What do you think happened to him, you know, to change his hair and eyes like that." Ana wondered, placing the only picture they had of the Big Four member next to the picture of Jackson Overland.

Aster shrugged. "The chemicals must have altered his genetics or something, its a miracle that he survived, if it is Jackson."

Ana frowned, looking down at him. "You mean, like genetic mutation? What are the chances of him having other abilities then?"

Thinking of the mutants around the world that were known to the government, people like Charles Xavier, made Aster shiver. If there was a mutant among the Big Four, catching them was sure to get that much harder.

Though, when Aster had chased the young man after they had broken into the precinct, he hadn't used any sort of powers to get away, except for his unnaturally good free-running. Maybe he didn't even know he was a mutant?

"Ana, we need to catch these kids."

* * *

Merida's POV

Merida continued driving until night fell. Hiccup had offered multiple times to take over, but she had insisted that she was fine. Besides, Hiccup looked exhausted, but no amount of convincing would get him to take a rest.

She wanted to tell him that he didn't have to watch over them every moment of the day, they weren't going to cease to function if he wasn't overseeing everything. Merida knew he felt guilty, like Jack's injury was his fault. Jack and Punz knew it too. They were all hard-headed in some way, Hiccup's was that he was very over-protective over his friends. He would disregard his own needs to help a friend.

Merida hadn't spoken to him much after she learnt where he was taking them. Long ago, when they'd met Jack and Rapunzel, she and Hiccup had agreed to leave family out of it all. Not only would it prevent them from compromised by someone hoping to blackmail them, but it meant that their loved ones would be safe too.

Even if they were in an increasingly desperate situation, with two new, very good, cops on their trail, next to no provisions, not to mention a wounded member, she didn't like the thought of asking Hiccup's old childhood friends to help them. Not only had they been incredibly mean to him before his teen years, but she and the Berk group had a vicious rivalry.

Hiccup knew that Merida hated to ask for help, let alone asking _her._ But still, if she could find someone to help Jack, she would have to swallow her pride. For now.

It was hard to do anything without Jack, really. You never realised how much someone was useful to your cause till they were out of action. Like when Rapunzel had broken her ankle after a particularly nasty fall from a second-story window (long story, but Jack was lucky that Rapunzel forgave him for basically dropping her), and Merida was forced to try her hand at maneuvering through an advanced laser security system. Needless to say, even if Merida was small, it was ruthless work and she'd almost been caught.

They wouldn't be able to make any more thefts till Jack healed. Their plans just couldn't work with three people, and Jack was by far the best out them at hand-to-hand combat, not to mention his aim was almost as good as Merida's herself, and she had won countless archery competitions in her school days. Jack was fast, agile and surprisingly strong, though Hiccup's strength was nothing to scoff at either.

In the seat beside her, she saw that Hiccup was finally starting to doze off, too tired to keep himself awake. Looking in the rear-view mirror, Rapunzel was starting to stir awake after her long nap, rubbing her cheek against Jack's shoulder.

Jack had his head hung over the back of his seat, eyes screwed shut.

"Ya ok, Jack?" She asked, and Jack merely nodded with a groan.

She was about to protest that he definitely wasn't, when she saw something that she liked even less driving behind them. "Oh shit."

Snapping to awareness almost immediately, Hiccup turned in to his seat to see the patrol car following. He gave Rapunzel a proper shake to wake her up, instructing her to cover Jack's giveaway white hair.

Hiccup and Merida had chosen a car with tinted windows for exactly this reason, but a young man with white hair was easily recognized. Merida continued at a steady speed, waiting for the next intersection so she could turn off the highway and hope that the cop wasn't onto them.

Indicating long before her turn, she steered to the left onto a neighborhood street, sighing in relief when the patrol car kept driving forward. Turning into a cul-de-sac and stopping at the curb, Merida cut the engine and turned on the over-head light.

In the brightness of the light, Merida could see that Jack's forehead was covered in a sheen on sweat, his breathing ragged and his eyes flickering. Rapunzel pressed the back of her hand against his face, and her concerned frown deepened.

Knowing without having to be told, Hiccup jumped out of the car and opened the trunk to fetch some water bottles and cloths. Rapunzel shifted closer to the door, sitting straight, and then Merida helped her to lower Jack down so that his head was in Rapunzel's lap. He clenched his jaw against the pain of the movement, hissing through his teeth whenever the bullet wound brushed the seat.

He was too tall to fit between the doors, so his legs remained hanging off the seat in a very awkward way.

There was a dull thud as Hiccup shut the boot before hopping back in the passenger seat. Unscrewing the lid from one of the bottles, he carefully poured some cold water onto one of cloths and passed it Rapunzel, who laid the material over Jack's forehead.

There wasn't much else they could do until they got to Hiccup's friend's, so with cold water on hand and the air conditioned turned on all the way, Merida started the engine and went back onto the highway, going as fast as she could without being pulled over.

* * *

 **Poor Jackie :(**

 **I feel like the last chapters have been very Jack centric, and I really love Jack but I just need to remember that there are other characters. Hopefully soon we can focus of Rapunzel's backstory and what happened with her and Gothel, and of course Hiccup's friends are starting to come into it, though they won't be a huge part of the story, maybe**

 **Hopefully you liked the chapter, I would really appreciate the reviews, I love hearing your opinions of my writing ;D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys!**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter! ;D**

* * *

Hiccup's POV

Hiccup took in a deep breath, swallowing down his nervousness. He stood at the front door of an old, small house in the suburbs of a town in Iowa, the only source of light around was the headlights of the 4X4 they were driving.

He knew for certain that she still lived here, but she definitely wouldn't be too happy about being woken up at this ridiculously early hour of the morning. Parked at the curb, Merida banged on the window of the car and yelled at him to get on with it and knock on the damn door already.

Rolling his eyes, Hiccup knocked on the wooden door with his fist, ringing the door bell as well for good measure. For a while there was no response, so Hiccup knocked again. And again.

When he was still ignored, he was raising his hand again when one of the lights inside was turned on and he heard angry footsteps approaching the door. The door was wrenched open, and when his eyes took in how pissed off the owner of the house looked, he told himself about what a good idea it was to make Merida stay in the car.

"Hiccup! I...wh-what are you doing here?" Her expression of rage had changed into shock when she saw him.

Hiccup licked his lips. "Astrid." He wasn't sure what he was going to say. She was still staring at him with an expectant look, and he realized that he hadn't answered her question. Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck, "Um, I need your help."

Astrid raised an eyebrow, placing a hand on her hip and rising onto her toes to peek past him. Upon seeing Merida, her face contorted into a scowl. "Hiccup!" She punched him in the shoulder. "Are you serious, bringing _her_ here!?"

"Look, Astrid, I know you guys don't get along, but I promise, I wouldn't have bought them if it wasn't important. My friend, he was shot, and he's sick. Please, Astrid."

The blonde woman pursed her lips and frowned at him for a moment, before she let out a sigh and opened the door wider, an invitation for them to stay.

"Thank you so much, I swear I'll make it up to you." He said sincerely.

Astrid rolled her blue eyes. "Whatever, Haddock. Put your friend on the couch, I'll go call Fishlegs."

She strode back into her house, and Hiccup ran back down to the curb and threw open the backseat door. He helped Merida and Rapunzel maneuver Jack out of the car, before he and Rapunzel pulled Jack's arms around their shoulders and helped him stagger into the house. Behind them, Merida gathered anything they might need, locked the car and hurried after them.

Astrid was on the phone, and her brow creased in concern when she took in Jack's condition.

He had steadily gotten worse as they drove as fast as they could. He was incredibly disorientated and weak, not to mention overheated and dehydrated. Rapunzel had tried to get him to drink, but he had stubbornly refused anything they attempted to put in his mouth and had just made a mess of the car.

"He'll be here soon," Astrid notified them, helping Hiccup to lay Jack down onto the couch.

Merida and Astrid now stood incredibly awkwardly on either side of the room. Astrid seemed to containing her hostility towards the Scot, though Mer was definitely making no such efforts, blatantly glaring at the other woman.

Rapunzel looked unbelievably uncomfortable, in a stranger's home, holding her delirious boyfriend's hand and cooling his forehead with a cloth.

The room was consumed with tense silence, and Hiccup prayed that Fishlegs would get there soon.

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Ana's POV

Ana had spent hours researching genetic mutation. How it might occur, side effects, anything that might confirm whether or not Jackson Overland could've become a mutant after his accident.

She'd felt so incredibly sorry for the boy after hearing his story. She'd heard about the tragedy (cases like that were often all over the media) but she hadn't known many of the details until now. The Overland case had been Aster's first case that concerned deaths, she knew, it couldn't have been an easy one to deal with.

Aster had driven her home as promised, but she found that she just couldn't get to sleep, no matter how exhausted she was.

She had the most frustrating feeling that they were just running on the spot. They'd already had more interaction with the Big Four than the previous investigators, and they may have discovered the identity of another member, but it still felt as though they were no closer to cracking the case.

They hadn't tracked them down, didn't know their next target, or what had become of the last object they stole for that matter. They were completely off the grid again, and Ana knew that she and Aster needed to find them before that boy healed.

Another thought that she couldn't dismiss was what sort of powers Jackson might have gained. Telepathy? Telekinesis? She hoped it was anything but that.

There had to be something they were missing. They would have to order a city wide search, scouring every building they could be hiding in. How far could they have traveled by now?

No doubt they would look for someone who could take them in for a while so the boy could get back on his feet, but it could take ages to track down any known ties they had.

Ana slumped back in her chair, running a hand over face. It was past two in the morning.

"Ana?" She turned to find her little sister, Amelia, affectionately nicknamed Baby Tooth, standing in the doorway, blinking blearily against the light. "What are you still doing up?"

Ana was about to remark that she could ask the same thing, but knew that Baby Tooth never took that kind of shit. "I'm just researching."

Baby Tooth raised an eyebrow. "You're really invested in this case, huh?"

She strode towards Ana, perching on the desk. The 19-year old was the spitting image of her older sister, the only real difference between them was Baby Tooth's different colored eyes. Baby Tooth had always wanted to become a police officer like Ana, and was currently training to join the force.

"Solving this could be our big break, Aster and I would be promoted big time. Besides, something about the case really bugs me." Ana handed the printed documents about mutation to Baby Tooth, hoping that a fresh perspective might reveal something.

Baby Tooth skimmed over the writing, her brow furrowed. "What's all this about?"

"We think one of them might be a mutant."

"You better hope they're not," She whistled, placing the papers back. "Are you any closer to finding them?"

Ana explained her plan to search for possible accomplices. "But we know all about Haddock and Dunbroch, they wouldn't go to anyone they knew would they?"

Baby Tooth thought for a moment. "Well, one of them's down, so he couldn't have taken them anywhere. Dunbroch hates her family, right, so she probably wouldn't want anything to do with them, besides they wouldn't want to see her either. And you literally know nothing about the other one, I'd just stick to searching Haddock."

Ana felt her lips spread into a grin; Amelia would make a great detective. "You're right, thanks Baby Tooth."

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Astrid's POV

Seeing Hiccup Haddock at her door had definitely been an unpleasant surprise.

Not that she wasn't glad to see her old friend, but know she had no excuse for not telling him. And she _had_ to tell him, it was unfair for her not to.

But she could delay it for now. He was focused on making sure his friend was alright, so she could at least wait until Fishlegs got here, which shouldn't be long. Hopefully he wouldn't bring Snotlout or the twins, she really didn't want to deal with them.

For ten minutes they stood awkwardly in the living room, the blonde one fretting over the man Astrid could only assume was her boyfriend. Astrid let out a breath of relief when her doorbell rang, and she hurried into the hallway before anyone else could move.

Fishlegs stood in the doorway, holding a case that probably contained the things he'd need to heal Hiccup's friend. "Astrid, have you told him yet?" He asked as he passed her.

"No, all his friend's are there." She said quietly, closing and locking the door.

Fishlegs shot her a look over his shoulder, pausing in his tracks. "He'll be devastated you know."

"I know." Astrid replied, gulping and staring at the floor. She didn't want to be the one to tell him.

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Rapunzel's POV

Jack's hand was clammy in hers, his grip alarmingly weak. "You'll be ok soon, Jackie," She whispered, planting a soft kiss onto his knuckles.

A large blonde man had emerged from the hallway, Astrid on his heels. Without a word- except for greeting Hiccup- he made his way to the couch and knelt down beside Rapunzel.

"What happened to him?" He asked, opening the case he had at his side.

Rapunzel smoothed back Jack's hair, "He was shot in the back, he got a fever on the way here."

The man-Fishlegs, she presumed-gestured for Hiccup to come closer and the two of them gently rolled Jack over so that Fishlegs could see the wound. "Well, he hasn't pulled the stitches, and it isn't infected so that's good for now."

Turning Jack onto his back again, Fishlegs pulled a thermometer out of his case and stuck it into Jack's ear, causing him to flinch away. The big blonde held him in place, before removing the thermometer to check the reading.

His brow creased. "I don't...this doesn't make sense." He pullled a new one out of his case and battled with Jack to put it in his mouth.

"What?" Rapunzel questioned, leaning forward to see the reading. Fishlegs looked, then frowned and handed it to her. She gaped in confusion, eyes flickering up to examine Fishlegs' uncertain expression. Jack's temperature read 94 degrees.

"But that means that he should be hypothermic!" She protested, pressing the back of her hand against Jack's burning forehead.

Merida and Astrid stood behind the couch, their spite forgotten in the moment as they watched on. Hiccup scowled and muttering for Rapunzel to pass him the thermometer.

"But that can't be right. Look how much he's sweating?" He exclaimed.

"Maybe it's broken?" Astrid suggested, but Fishlegs shook his head.

"The other one was the same."

Merida was the only one who didn't seem overly worried. "Well, is there anythin' ya can do ta fix 'him then?" She asked, always the one to keep them moving forward.

Fishlegs snapped back into action, as if remembering that he had a job to do. He explained to them as he rummaged through his case. "I can give him some medicine to reduce the fever symptoms-"

"Hah, good luck with tha'."

"-and when that's better we'll have to make sure his temperature doesn't get too low. Maybe I can do some blood tests."

Merida's smart remark had gone completely over Fishlegs' head, and he pulled out a bottle of medicine. Taking it from him, and looking at the liquid inside, Rapunzel let out a sigh as she realized how right Merida was. It was going to be absolutely impossible to get Jack to drink it, he wouldn't even drink water for crying out loud.

Taking matters into his own hands, Hiccup rounded the couch. He gently propped Jack up against the pillows, before half-sitting on him, using his knee to keep Jack down.

His mind completely on autopilot, Jack reacted immediately, throwing out his arms in defense. Merida and Astrid each held one of Jack's arm as Rapunzel poured the correct dosage of the nasty smelling stuff. Holding up the cup, Rapunzel almost winced as Hiccup used both hands to open Jack's mouth.

Rapunzel poured the medicine down his throat, making Jack gag horribly, but Hiccup held his jaw closed and pinched his nose, forcing him to swallow the vile liquid. Jack fought Hiccup vigorously, but eventually the need for air became too much and he gulped down the medicine.

Immediately letting go of his friend's head, Hiccup leaped back as Jack sat upright and coughed. "Ugh! That tastes like shit!" He declared rudely, wiping his mouth, snapping out of his delirium.

"I know, sorry," Fishlegs replied sheepishly.

Astrid handed Jack a cup of water, muttering that it would wash out the taste, maybe. Jack downed the water in one go, slumping back against the pillows.

"Zel?" He reached his hand out to her, and she gripped it tight. "I still don't feel good."

Rapunzel smiled slightly, "I know, baby, it'll get better soon. Get some rest?" Jack nodded in agreement, his eyelids already drooping shut.

"How long will it take ta work?" Merida asked, offering Rapunzel her hand and pulling the other girl to her feet.

Fishlegs shrugged, putting away the bottle of medicine and sorting through the case. "It depends on him. Since he hasn't had the fever long, and his temperature is low it shouldn't take him too long." A thought seemed to occur to him, and he looked up. "Does he have fevers often?"

Rapunzel, Merida and Hiccup all nodded simultaneously.

"Are they always like this? Induced by injury, heat?"

They nodded again. Almost every time he was seriously injured, his temperature would rise. Fishlegs nodded thoughtfully, before he excused himself and went the hall, probably to the bathroom.

Astrid rocked back on her heels. "Well, while we wait for that stuff to work, would you like something to eat?"

Within a nanosecond Rapunzel and Hiccup agreed, though Merida seemed more reluctant to accept anything from the other girl. Rapunzel had no idea what their problem with each other was, but there was clearly history behind it. Although, it wasn't particularly hard to get on Mer's bad side, if she was being completely honest.

Astrid turned on the kettle, retrieving five mugs from one of the cupboards. Instinctly, Rapunzel rose to help, seeking out milk and sugar. The two of them were placing the cups on the table when Fishlegs shuffled back into the room, his eyes wide, book open in his hands.

"Jack; is he an albino?" He asked urgently.

Rapunzel frowned at the odd question. "No."

"Did he dye his hair white, then?"

She shook her head. "No, it turned that color after an accident."

Fishlegs almost looked faint. "What kind of accident?"

"A chemical explosion, I think. Why?"

Hiccup really perked up at that. He met Fishlegs gaze, seeming to ask a question with his eyes. Fishlegs approached the table, placing the book on the wooden surface.

"That chemical wasn't liquid nitrogen? Was it?" Hiccup asked, his tone taking on the same frantic edge as Fishlegs'.

Rapunzel placed her hands on the table. "Hiccup, I don't know, he barely wanted to tell me what I know. Now, what on earth is this about?" She demanded.

Fishlegs ignored her question, turning around and going back to his case. He took out another new thermometer, placing it in Jack's mouth while he slept. He waited in apprehension, before pulling it out and rushing back over and showing the reading.

" _86?_ " Merida exclaimed.

"Oh my god," Hiccup murmured softly, rubbing his face.

Rapunzel was frantic. She searching the house for a blanket, rushing back to Jack. Before she could throw the blanket over him to warm him up, Hiccup intercepted her. "Punz wait! That might not be a good idea."

"What?" Rapunzel demanded. "But I thought you said-"

Hiccup chose his next words very carefully, unsure about how to explain it. "Look, a body core temperature that is nearly dangerously low for us, that temperature is too hot for him. A couple years ago, Fishlegs and I were doing a project on this guy, and he was in an accident just like Jack's. And he came out...different."

Realization dawned upon her, hitting her like a brick. She dropped the blanket. "You don't mean..."

Hiccup nodded slightly. "Jack's a mutant."

The world could've stopped turning, Rapunzel wouldn't have noticed. Her boyfriend, how had she not known? Why wouldn't he tell her?

The room was completely silent. And then the boor bell rang.

* * *

 **I really liked writing this chapter!**

 **Say hello to Astrid, Fishlegs and Baby Tooth! Yay! I definitely want BT to be a bigger part in the story, but I'm not too sure what to do with her yet? I'm also debating whether I should make Rapunzel a mutant too. I feel like her having the healing hair doesn't really fit into the story, because she definitely would've told her friends, and I can't make it that she didn't know because that is literally a repeat of Jack's story.**

 **In response to _I'm the lonely life:_ yes, his fevers are because of the mutation. There will definitely be a villain, though I'm debating on which character to use at the moment, but they'll be a big factor in later chapters, maybe coming into play very soon ;D**

 **But anyway, who do you think was at the door?!**

 **Please R &R :P I would really appreciate it!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys ;P**

 **Hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Hiccup's POV

As soon as the door bell rang, Hiccup was on high alert. Who on earth would be here at this time?

He exchanged a glance with Merida, who had stood up from her seat by the table. Rapunzel was staring at Jack with an extremely strange expression, like she didn't know what to think of him. Frankly, Hiccup didn't either.

"Hiccup, all of you need to get out, quick, go out of the back." Astrid said, hurriedly clearing away the cups of coffee, evidence of their presence.

Merida rebutted almost immediately. "Are ya serious? How are we supposed ta get outta here with Jack like this?"

There was no way they'd be able to get to the car without being noticed, and Hiccup knew that he wouldn't be able to carry Jack for long, and even if the other boy was awake, he was in no condition to move fast.

"Just go, you can't stay. You'll get us all arrested."

Fishlegs twirled his wrists nervously, packing up his case. "Astrid's right, no one else would be here at this time. You need to go hide somewhere, and we'll get rid of the cops."

Merida let out a very colorful stream of curses, grabbing Rapunzel's hand and starting to pull her towards the back door. Hiccup leaned down by the couch, and Fishlegs helped him to sling the taller, heavier boy over his shoulder. That medicine had knocked him out like a light. Merida held the door open for him, and he gave Astrid a small nod of thanks before she turned the other way and went to greet whoever it was at the door, though he didn't miss the look on her face as turned away. Almost like regret.

Bidding a hurried goodbye to Fishlegs, Hiccup followed Merida and Rapunzel-who looked to have snapped out of her state of shock-through the small backyard behind Astrid's house.

The wooden fence surrounding the property was too high to scale with Jack, and Hiccup couldn't see a gate except for the one that would take them back to the front of the house.

"Oh shit." Hiccup muttered.

Rapunzel quickly ran to the fence. "C'mon, we don't have time for this." She had to jump to grab the top, and Merida helped her swing one of her legs over. Bracing herself from either side, she pulled Merida up and the two girls balanced over the top of the wood fence.

They leaned down to grab Jack's arms, and Hiccup lifted Jack's torso and they half-lifted him over, laying him across the fence in a way that looked to be quite painful. Once Jack was on the fence, Hiccup scaled the barrier and hopped over into the backyard of the adjoining property.

Merida and Rapunzel lifted Jack back up off the fence, helping Hiccup to put him back on his shoulders, before they both jumped off.

Knowing they had to move fast and quiet, the three of them silently crept along the fence-line, following it to the front of the house and onto the street.

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Aster's POV

He and Ana waited with varying degrees of patience. Ana, calm as always, stood slightly in front of him as they waited at the door of Astrid Hofferson's house.

Ana had called Aster immediately after Baby Tooth suggested to search for Haddock's old friends, and the two of them had gone to the station again and searched through the database. The closest known friend of Henry Haddock was Ms Hofferson.

After notifying Commissioner North, they had been allowed to travel to Iowa by helicopter, a much faster method of transport, though the Big Four had gotten a very big head-start. Aster just hoped that they hadn't moved on yet.

Hearing a rather suspicious amount of noise coming from inside the house, Ana was about to knock again when the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a young woman, around the same age as the members of the Big Four, with braided blonde hair and crystal blue eyes.

"Ms Hofferson?" Ana asked for confirmation, receiving a nod from the other woman.

Astrid Hofferson shifted uncomfortable. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Her voice was laced with well concealed sarcasm and malice, hinting to Aster that she obviously wasn't fond of law enforcement.

"I'm Detective Aster Bunnymund, this is Detective Toothiana Fey," Aster presented his badge. "We're investigating the criminal group known as the Big Four. We found that one of them, Henry Haddock, has known ties with you."

Astrid nodded. "Yes, we grew up together. But none of us has seen Henry in years, he left town as soon as he graduated high school."

 _Huh, likely story,_ Aster thought. Of course he knew that the kids were smart, they would've severed all contacts with family and friends, but they were in a desperate situation.

"There was quite a bit of noise inside, Ms Hofferson," Ana began, earning her a narrow-eyed look from Astrid. "Would you mind if we came inside and had a look around?"

"Of course not," the blonde plastered a forced smile on her face and stepped aside to let them in, and Aster caught her glaring daggers in Ana's direction as she passed.

The house was small, though more than big enough for a single person to live in. They walked down the hallway into the living room, where a large blonde man sat on the couch with a steaming mug in his hands. He looked up in shock at seeing them enter the room.

"Little late to have visitors, isn't it?" Aster inquired, scanning the room with sharp eyes.

The two blondes exchanged a look, and the man hurried to answer. "It's been a while since we saw each other last, we were just catching up."

Ana shot Aster a quick look before she turned a began to vigilantly search the house. Aster spotted Ms Hofferson open her mouth to protest, but she quickly changed her mind and shut up. A good decision.

The two of them didn't search houses often unless they were absolutely certain that the criminals were in there, but after the Big Four had gotten away so many times, they were taking every chance they got.

Astrid had taken an unnecessary amount of time to open the door for them, especially since she'd been awake, so she had either given Haddock time to hide, or time to escape.

If the crooks were on foot, they weren't likely to get very far. With one of them severely injured, they shouldn't be moving fast, and there was definitely no way they could get someone else to take them in.

Aster surveyed his suspects discreetly, noting the anxious behavior of the large blonde man. He kept wringing his hands, his eyes darted over the room but refusing to look at Aster, the sweat rolling in drops from his temples.

The detective could hear Ana opening and closing doors, searching through closets and rooms for anywhere that might be big enough to hide them. Not long after, she came back into the living and slightly shook her head at her partner.

They weren't in the house, but that didn't mean that they hadn't been. Which meant that they were outside in the streets somewhere.

Exchanging a glance with Aster, Ana stepped forward and politely offered to shake Astrid's hand, which the blonde girl reluctantly accepted. "Thank you for your time, sorry for being here so late."

Pasting on another fake grin, Ms Hofferson escorted them back to the front door. She shut the door on them the first chance she got.

"Jeez, someone's cranky," Ana remarked under her breath. Aster scanned the streets, noticing the parked 4X4 out front of the car in front of a Ford. One of those cars was surely Astrid's guest's, but who did the other car belong to?

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Merida's POV

To be completely honest, Merida was ecstatic to get out of that woman's house, no matter what the circumstances might've been. Running from the police was something she'd done before, she knew what to do and what to expect, but she _did not_ know how to be civil with Hiccup's old friends and family.

Once upon a time, she would've tried to get along, but after she'd heard how they used to treat him, something inside her just flared with rage at even a mention of them.

Merida shook her head to distract herself from the thoughts; they needed to focus on finding a place to hide from the cops. Easier said than done when they were in an unfamiliar neighborhood, where every house was surely locked.

"We could try to get into a garage, but if there isn't a side door we won't be able to get in without making too much noise," Rapunzel contemplated their options quietly, her bright green eyes darting around to take in their surroundings.

Hiccup let out a huff, hefting Jack's limp form higher on his shoulder. "Guys, we need to find somewhere fast. As soon as those cops realize that we're not at Astrid's they'll search the streets."

Merida peeked around the front of the house from where they were standing, hoping to get a good view of the street. It was empty, save for a couple cars parked at the curb. Still, the areas was lit up with street lights, they would be spotted if anyone happened to look, without a doubt.

She knew they couldn't risk crossing the street yet, not with the cops only two houses behind them, but that didn't leave them with many other options.

"We could try ta find a house with a basement? They 'ave trapdoors don't they?" She suggested.

Hiccup looked behind her, checking to see if there was said door. "That's a good idea, we'll just have to hope they don't think of it too."

Merida nodded, understanding his thoughts. If they had to pick a lock to get in, they'd have to keep the door open so they could get back out.

Rising on her toes and pulling herself up slightly, Rapunzel poked her head over the fence beside them, looking at the side of the house next door. "There's one here," She whispered.

With a surprising amount of upper-body strength, she lifted herself up the rest of the way and jumped over.

"I'm just gonna go around," Hiccup stated, obviously reluctant to lift Jack over again. Merida smirked and followed Rapunzel's lead. The two girls crept along the edge of the property before they came to door to the basement.

It was secured with a padlock, like most were, but the metal was covered in rust from exposure to the weather. It would be a piece of cake to open. Pulling out a lock-pick (she always had one handy), Merida crouched and fiddled with the lock, pushing against the tumbler inside and opening it with alarming ease.

Tossing the padlock to the side, she and Rapunzel carefully lifted the doors, testing to see if the rusty hinges would creak. They had just opened the doors when Rapunzel gasped and shoved Merida against the side of the house, pressing herself against the wall.

Not a moment later, a flashlight moved past them, coming from the street behind them. Merida cursed softly, silently urging Hiccup to hurry up, and thanking him for going around the other way.

As the light disappeared, someone placed their hand on Merida's shoulder, causing for to jump violently. Almost letting out a yelp, she was stopped when another hand pressed over her mouth.

"Mer! _Shh._ "

Merida sighed in relief, seeing that it was only Hiccup. He rolled his eyes at her, before hurrying down the stairs. Rapunzel followed, and Merida closed the doors behind them, sealing them in complete darkness.

Blinded by the black, Merida heard Hiccup cautiously make his way down the steep staircase, before there was a sharp but quiet smack and Hiccup let out a hiss of pain. " _Ow!_ "

Rapunzel snorted softly, and Merida choked down a laugh when she guessed what had happened. She ducked so she wouldn't smack her forehead on the ceiling like Hiccup just did.

"You guys didn't bring a flashlight, did you?" Rapunzel asked from Merida's left.

The Scot almost shook her head, until she remembered that they wouldn't be able to see her. "There's bound ta be one in 'ere."

Hiccup grunted. "Good luck finding one," He remarked sarcastically. "Hey, is there anywhere for me to put Jack?"

"Just put 'im on tha floor, he ain't gonna notice."

At that moment, a soft light flickered on, spreading through the small chamber. Rapunzel lowered her hand from the switch she had just flicked.

The light revealed that the basement was mostly empty; there was a small collection of old tools on a rack of shelves off to one wall, and a few boxes of the house owner's belongings littered the floor.

The room was absolutely filthy, the residents obviously never came down here. Unfortunately for Jack, there wasn't a table or bench of any sort. Hiccup grimaced as he lowered himself onto one knee, letting Rapunzel pull Jack off his shoulders.

The blonde sat down with her boyfriend's head in her lap, ignorant to the filth she was in. She pressed a hand against his face, her brow creasing. "Well, your friend's medicine worked."

Merida flashed her eyes in Hiccup's direction, seeing his expression turn dark as he stood. "Why wouldn't he tell us."

"Hic, maybe he didn't know," Merida pursed her lips, but Hiccup wasn't done.

He looked down at his friend. "How could he not have known? His family died when he was fourteen, he's been like this for _seven years,_ there's no way that he didn't know."

Rapunzel immediately jumped to Jack's defense. "Um, excuse me! You know that Jack would've told us, but now isn't the time to talk about this. You can ask him when he wakes up, okay?"

"And when will tha' be?" Merida questioned.

Rapunzel shrugged slightly with one shoulder. "Well, his fever's almost gone, he's practically freezing. I'm sure it won't be long."

Merida didn't think she'd ever seen Rapunzel look so glum. Usually, the pretty blonde was energetic and excitable, while managing to be serious and get Jack back in line. She was the peacekeeper of the group, even if she wasn't the most levelheaded.

But now, she looked like her whole world had flipped upside-down. Though Merida didn't exactly know the full story about how Jack had helped Rapunzel escape from her kidnapper, seeing Jack with an entirely new perspective, Merida supposed that maybe Rapunzel's world _had_ spun out of balance.

Hiccup sighed in defeat, sinking low onto his haunches and pushing his fingers through his tousled hair. "Punz, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, Hiccup," Rapunzel interjected softly.

Merida saw Hiccup begin to reply, but she quickly shot a hand up to shush him. Outside, she could hear something moving. The Scot glided across the small room and turned off the light, allowing the room to be consumed by the suffocating darkness again.

Seconds later, a weak light slowly streamed in through the gap in the doors before it passed again, followed periodically by several others. The police were diligently scouring the area for them, and judging by the number of flashlights, it wasn't just the two detectives.

Merida cursed mentally, praying to the old kings of Scotland that she was descended from, begging that the cops would bypass the unlocked doors. If they were found, they were trapped down here.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ana's POV

Ana and Aster had immediately hurried down the street, breaking into the mystery car. Ana noted that the car's registration plate was from the state over, where they had just come from.

There weren't any belongings in the vehicle, but there were dark patches on the back seat where something might have been spilled on it. Probably just water.

Aster flicked his bright greens towards her, his brow creased. "They were definitely here, they can't be too far away."

Ana nodded in agreement, feeling a buzz of excitement in her gut. There was no way that the Big Four could be moving fast, and they were likely to find a hiding place so they could protect their injured member. Listening to Aster calling in for backup, Ana had a feeling that they might actually catch them this time.

She shut the car door, making sure she had a gun and ammo, as well as her flashlight, on her belt; there was no way the Big Four would go quietly. To be completely honest, at this point, she'd be disappointed if they did.

"The local police are on their way," Aster informed her, checking his gun and turning on his flashlight.

Ana nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

 **Ooohh, the cops are closing in!**

 **Trust me, this is _not_ the end, not even close! I hope you liked it, there are still many questions left unanswered, they will be resolved, I promise. This isn't the end of Astrid and Fishlegs either, they still have something to tell Hiccup don't they? **

**Please R &R! ;D**


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